At the airport in London, she reached for me,
Instead of the Evian, it made me smile with glee.
Not today, landfill. Not this time.
To be single use, it feels a crime.
You see, 80% of bottles don’t get reused,
They rot in the ground – unloved, abused.
My cap feels suffocating as I get packed away,
For a long-haul flight, the emissions I dismay.
But I fall into her bag, into her trust,
Commitment to a cleaner goal, she tries, she must,
MyClimate’s flight tool helps balance the cost,
Of skies she crosses, for learning not lost.
A direct flight chosen, no needless delay,
Less fuel, less fuss – the sustainable way.
Arrival down under, Australia beckons,
She scrolls through with ease,
Possibility found in seconds.
The GreenTravel website calls her name,
From scuba diving to bushwalks,
Who said sustainability was lame?
She checks OLIO for meals to save,
In Australia, this is how she behaves.
I clink around in her backpack, but care I do not,
As she cycles along Queen Street, to find the perfect spot,
To enjoy the sandwich that she refused to let rot.
A trip to the Gold Coast and I see what I could’ve been.
Discarded, rejected, dumped, that’s no life for me.
She joins the Tangaroa Blue crew, with bags in hand,
Collecting waste from the shore, taking a stand.
With every piece she picks, the ocean breathes free,
Her green goals align with the future, as it should be.
Marine biology, a developing passion,
But nothing has changed about her love for fashion.
She sips on me as she scrolls through Depop,
Now her need to style doesn’t have to stop.
A quick pic, and her own clothes are for sale,
A circular economy, her promise to be green, she refuses to fail.
At her accommodation, challenges arise,
To be sustainable in another country, she must acclimatize.
How do I recycle? Where does this go?
Recycle Mate is sure to let her know.
How to dispose correctly,
So, we can avoid that nightmare,
Of being tossed into the oceans, a polluted affair.
It’s been a year and scratches I possess,
And peeling stickers of memories – a colourful mess.
But my body is strong, and so is her will to be green,
Which has sustained a year of travelling clean.
With resources and intention, she carved her own way,
Proving small acts can shift the world each day.
Not just a bottle – I’m proof of her creed:
That change starts with choices, not grandiose deeds.
